The Shrew of Destiny () is a Polish graphic novel that tells the story of Dobrzyk the shrew who along with his animal friends from the Białowieża Forest set out to stop an unfriendly human whose environmental unawareness may end up destroying the forest. It was written and illustrated by Tomasz Samojlik... It is the first book in the Shrew Saga (Polish: Saga o Ryjówce) series about the adventures of animals from the Białowieża Forest, Poland. The book was published in the year 2014 by Kultura Gniewu and is one of his most famous comics. There are, as of 2021, three sequels to the book. It is a book from the fantasy genre that mostly keeps in line with natural facts about its setting and characters.
Characters
Main characters Dobrzyk (Eurasian pygmy shrew, Latin Sorex minutus, Polish ryjówka malutka)
The main character. He is a clumsy pygmy shrew who gets beaten or begged into surrender by the insects that are a shrew's prey. Due to this, he relies on support from Śmiłka for his food.
As a pygmy shrew, he is among the smallest shrews. He also has a crown-shaped marking that suggests that he is The Shrew of Destiny.
Śmiłka (common shrew, Latin Sorex araneus, Polish ryjówka aksamitna)
Dobrzyk's good friend who provides him with food.
Labhallan (Eurasian water shrew, Latin Neomys fodiens, Polish rzęsorek rzeczek)
A water shrew with a paralyzing bite. He is a self-proclaimed “Bloody warrior and ladies’ man”.
He lives near the river and is unaware that it has been poisoned by the human until Dobrzyk points out that all the fish are dead, probably from being poisoned, thus saving Labhallan's life.
Korina (bicolored, white-toothed shrew, Latin Crocidura leucodon, Polish zębiełek białawy)
The princess of the white-toothed shrews.
Kosmacz (European hedgehog. Latin Erinaceus europaeus, Polish jeż europejski)
A hedgehog who guards a path between two trees, and lets travelers through if they either pay a fee of ten earthworms or defeat him in a duel, though he claims that he is undefeatable. His weakness is a severe case of arachnophobia, or fear of spiders, that Dobrzyk exploits to gain passage.
Fiodor (European pond turtle, Latin Emys orbicularis, Polish żółw błotny)
A wise old turtle who is the sage of Shrews’ Valley. He sleeps most of the time, however. As a turtle, he is very long-lived, possibly over one hundred years old.
Sorek (common shrew, Latin Sorex araneus, Polish ryjówka aksamitna)
Another common shrew, he runs the school in Shrews’ Valley. He uses a walking stick made of a pine needle due to being elderly. He is also Fiodor's friend.
? (American mink, Latin Neogale vison, Polish wizon amerykański, norka amerykańska)
An unnamed mink who attempts to kill Dobrzyk. The second book reveals him to be a spy to the Mink Emperor.
Supporting characters
Taka and Tuka (common toads, Latin bufo bufo, Polish ropucha szara)
Two female toads, extremely toxic back, who lead the shrews to the nail in the tree. They tell the legend of the forest guardian.
Mr. and Mrs. Raven (common ravens, Latin corvus corax, Polish kruk zwyczajny)
Two friendly ravens, look on from trees, commenting everything and arguing
The Black Enemy (human, Latin homo sapiens, Polish człowiek)
Takes trash into the forest polluting it.
Rare Spider (funnel-web spider, Latin Agelena labyrinthica, Polish lejkowiec labiryntowy)
A spider who helps Dobrzyk beat Kosmacz.
Himisław (forest dormouse, Latin Dryomys nitedula, Polish koszatka leśna)
Meets Dobrzyk on a tree.
Bats (brown long-eared bat, Latin plecotus auratus, Polish gacek brunatny)
Live in a tree hollow and use echolocation. They give Dobrzyk an airlift.
Badger (European badger, Latin meles meles, Polish borsuk europejski)
Lives in a burrow, lets the shrews through as a reward for answering his riddle.
Rhinoceros beetle (European rhinoceros beetle, Latin oryctes nasicornis, Polish rohatyniec nosorożec)
Helps get the nail out of the tree stump.
Stefan and unnamed friend (unknown shrew species)
Two shrew soldiers who patrol the borders.
Barbarian Slug (tree slug, Latin lehmannia marginate, Polish pomrów)
A slug who threatens to kill the shrews but ends up getting eaten himself.
Owl (tawny owl, Latin strix aluco, Polish puszczyk zwyczajny)
An owl who captures Dobrzyk after the shrews exit the badger burrow.
Forest ranger (human, Latin homo sapiens, Polish człowiek)
Has to remind the polluter about the importance of recycling.
The Black Enemy’s wife (human, Latin homo sapiens, Polish człowiek)
She gives her husband the ideas for polluting the forest.
Setting The story is set in a fictional area deep in the Białowieża Forest that is called The Shrew's Valley. The valley is inhabited by several shrew species, who live in a medieval society and believe in prophecies. The surrounding forest has some notable landmarks, such as the Owl Meadow, badger burrow, Kosmacz the Hedgehog's Gate and the river. A map poster stylized as a leaf, is included in It the third book of the series. The forest is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site and is located between Poland and Belarus.
Lore
The Black Enemy Prophecy It is explained by Fiodor the Turtle to the shrews in the Shrews’ Valley School scene at the beginning of the story. Once, the Black Enemy came to the forest, and left not a tree standing. The prophecy says that he will return, and when he does, the Shrew of Destiny will appear to fight him.
The Legend of the Forest Guardian A story told by Taka and Tuka, the toad witches, explaining the nail in the stump to the shrews after the first polluted area scene in the middle of the story. Long ago the forest guardian got a nail in his foot, but was saved by a small shrew. The guardian then put the nail in a tree stump.
Plot
Main story The story begins with Dobrzyk fighting a spider in the forest. Eventually, Dobrzyk overcomes the spider, who begs for mercy and says that it is an endangered species. Dobrzyk leaves the spider be and continues the hunt, finding a large cuckoo egg, however, he is begged by some smaller birds into not eating the egg. He returns to Shrews’ Valley, unaware that he is being followed by a mink, and meets Śmiłka, who points out that he did not catch anything, as usual, and shares a snack, an earthworm, with him. She calls him out on being a softy, but he denies that. He pulls up his shirt to show that there is not a gram of fat on him, also revealing a strange, crown-shaped marking. Unknown to the shrews, the marking is seen by the mink. Meanwhile, the shrews retreat to their burrows. The mink walks away, monologuing about how he will dispose of the shrew with the “king's mark” and that then, minks can take over. Then, the scene cuts to Korina stuck in a plastic bottle, calling for help. The call is heard by two shrew guards on duty some distance away, but they dismiss it. Suddenly, they encounter a bottle cap, and then, a cloaked shadow covers the ground. Meanwhile, the scene cuts to Dobrzyk sleeping in his burrow when he is woken by Korina, who is trying to tell him something. Dobrzyk is confused by this and wakes up before he can learn anything.
Dobrzyk is woken by Śmiłka, and they head to the local school for their final exams. Along the way, they encounter the birds from earlier, who are having trouble with the cuckoo chick, that has since hatched. Dobrzyk confronts the cuckoo chick and advises it to go live with larger birds, like a local crow couple, who can provide it with more food. The chick takes off, and Dobrzyk and Śmiłka arrive at the school, that is, a clearing under a tree. They meet Sorek, the only teacher at the school, who quizzes them on shrew-appropriate behavior. During the test, the guards from earlier barge into the school, saying that they saw a “Black Enemy”. Everyone except Dobrzyk knows what is happening and Sorek wakes up his friend Fiodor, the ancient turtle, and asks him for help. Dobrzyk suddenly remembers the evil's name, calling it a “hume” (a warped version of the word “human”, in the Polish version “ludź” as in “ludzie”, humans). Fiodor then recounts the prophecy about the Black Enemy and the Shrew of Destiny, that the Black Enemy will destroy the forest. However, there is also a positive part of the story. When the Enemy comes, a shrew of destiny will appear to battle them. Dobrzyk, hungry and bored, chases a butterfly to the riverbank, however, the butterfly slaps him with its wings, and he gives up the chase. He then notices an upturned fish and decides it will do fine too. However, he is then attacked by a water shrew, who intends to steal the fish. Then, Dobrzyk notices that all the fish in the river are upturned. Concluding that the river is poisoned, Dobrzyk stops the water shrew from eating the fish. The water shrew apologizes and introduces himself as Labhallan, a “Bloody warrior and ladies’ man” before he suddenly escapes into the nearby grass.
Śmiłka approaches the riverbank, and Dobrzyk tells her about the water shrew. She then notices what happened to the river. They return to the school and inform Sorek and Fiodor of the problem. Fiodor closes his eyes, thinking how to recognize the Shrew of Destiny, not knowing that a grasshopper has landed on his head. Dobrzyk follows the insect up to Fiodor's head, and it escapes. Dobrzyk loses his balance, and tips onto the turtle's face just as Fiodor opens his eyes, and the turtle recognizes Dobrzyk as the Shrew of Destiny. Everyone is surprised by this, and Dobrzyk faints. Again, he encounters Korina in his dream, this time in the bottle where she is trapped. She tells him to find and free her, and that she is where the Black Enemy is. Dobrzyk wakes up, and Fiodor gives him some tips for the quest. Sorek tells the guards to take Dobrzyk to where they saw the enemy. Dobrzyk and the guards reach a polluted area where the Black Enemy is. Suddenly, the Enemy appears, revealed to be a local man who has been throwing his trash into the forest. Dobrzyk escapes from the human down a hole and finds himself in Korina's bottle prison. Upon meeting her, Dobrzyk is fully convinced that she is real, and he attempts to bite through the bottle. When that fails, he resorts to calling for help. Śmiłka then appears and rescues them. After an introduction, they learn that the guardian of the forest is the only one who can stop the human and that they need the nail in the tree stump. They acquire it, and rainfall starts. During a crossing of a slippery tree trunk over a river, Dobrzyk falls into the water and is saved by Labhallan. Labhallan tells the group that he met the guardian of the forest once, and he will take them to where that happened.